Callisti : To the Prettiest
by TabithaBradley
Summary: Macross era serial concerning a Zentraedi pilot and a radio personality. Takes place during the first invasion of the SDF1.Lyssa Tannai's odd, Discordian inspired editorials attract the attention of more than the residents of SDF1...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_Callisti (Kallisti) : "To the Prettiest"_

"Dammit. This ship should have been mine."

"But Captain-"

Tarana spun to face her second. "I'm telling you, Tridya, this ship _is_ mine, it belongs to me." She ran a hand through her short, wavy auburn hair in annoyance. "Damn her." she snarled under her breath. "And what is _my_ compensation?"

"Your compensation? But Captain, you've been promoted."

"A bloody secondary promotion. First officer on a ship I _should_ have commanded!"

Tarana rubbed her hands against her thighs absently. She turned to gaze out the window of the officer's lounge into the blackness of space. Stars winked back at her, catching lights in her silver-grey eyes. "What did I do wrong?" she muttered to herself.

"Captain Tarana."

Tarana turned. A slender figure in the violet uniform of the pilots, leaned in the door. Her glittering green eyes met Tarana's own.

"Miriya."

"The Commander wishes to see you on the Bridge."

Tarana smiled. "I'll bet she does."

Miriya stepped into the room. "She's not in the best of moods right now."

Although no rivalry existed between Miriya and her Commander, she found herself becoming increasingly amused with the overt competition between Tarana and Azonia. It was always interesting to watch.

Tarana straightened her campaign cloak, and smiled slightly. "Well then, if she's waiting, I suppose I must attend her."

With that, she strode out of the room.

"About time you arrived, Tarana."

Tarana walked into the battle bridge of the _Callisti_, and saluted. "As you ordered, milady." she snapped tersely, her only her eyes betraying her true feelings.

Azonia considered her from the relative comfort of the command chair, and casually returned the salute. She smiled slowly. "Well, I suppose now that we're going to be working together, I ought to brief you."

"_You_ did this to me." Tarana said blackly.

"Certainly." Azonia said. "I found myself in need of a capable first officer, and naturally I thought of you."

Tarana glared. "It wasn't enough that you stole my command from me, was it?" she snarled. "You just _had_ to take me away from my squadron."

"Well, you didn't have to accept the assignment."

Tarana bristled. Azonia laughed softly. "I knew you'd do _anything_ to be back on the _Callisti_, Tarana- on the front lines, rather than back in the reserve forces- where you were." she said quietly. "And you _are_ one of the best officers I have." she smiled like a cat. "You _should_ be thanking me."

Tarana pursed her lips, and remained stoic. "Thank you, Commander." she said through clenched teeth.

"That's better."

Silence filled the command sphere.

"Well," Azonia said finally, "You and I are going to be seeing quite a lot of each other, so you'd best get used to it. Especially in Miriya's absence."

"Miriya's absence?" Tarana asked carefully. "What do you mean?"

"She has requested to be inserted into the space fortress as an agent."

"Why?"

"That isn't your concern."

Tarana gritted her teeth, but she nodded. "Aye ma'am."

She narrowed her eyes, and regarded the woman with a distasteful expression. "Dismissed, Captain." she said.

Tarana snapped a salute, "Milady." and turning sharply on her heel, strolled off the bridge.

"Why didn't you say anything to me, Miriya?" Tarana muttered, standing in the doorway to the ace pilot's quarters.

Miriya looked up from her computer, into the other woman's eyes. "It's _my_ problem. My concern."

"Are you sure?" Tarana asked, letting the door slide to behind her.

"Yes. I have to do it. I must."

Tarana considered the look in her friend's eyes. She nodded. "I can see that." she said softly. "Your honor?"

"Mine. And more, I think."

"I heard that you and Lord Khyron had a talk." Tarana said, sitting down. "I know his kind. You didn't let-"

"-He was right, Tara."

"About what?" Tarana snapped angrily. "Since when do you listen to a _man_? Especially such a one as _that_?"

"Tarana, you weren't _there_, you didn't _see_ him!" Miriya snarled. "A blasted _micronian_, Tara! He _bested_ me! _Me_!"

"Dammit, Miriya!"

"He must die." Miriya said softly. "By Pakhit, I swear it!"

Tarana looked long and hard at the green-haired woman. She sighed. "Miriya... You're my friend. Perhaps the only friend I've ever had." She stood, and took her hand. "I don't like it." she said with an effort, "But- if you feel this is the only way- then, I support you."

Miriya looked at her. "Yes."

Tarana turned and left the room.

"You've lost control." Tarana said quietly to Azonia.

"Shut up."

Tarana retired to her position behind Azonia's chair, biting back a smile. _And perhaps, now that Breetai is back in command,_ I'll _be given my rightful command_.

"I suppose this makes you happy, Tarana." Azonia snapped in irritation.

"I wouldn't know, milady." Tarana said stiffly. "I'm _just_ a subordinate officer."

Azonia stood in a rush. "It would do you well to _remember_ that." she snarled, and stalked off the bridge.

Tarana smiled. "Oh I remember. _Extremely_ well, lady." she murmured, taking the command chair.

"We are being hailed, milady." Comm told her.

"Oh, by whom?"

"The _Khravshera_, lady."

Tarana frowned. _Why the hell-_? "Very well."

"Commander Azonia-"

Tarana regarded the image on the projecbeam quietly.

Khyron stared at her. "And who the hell are you?" he snapped.

"Captain Tarana. First Officer of the _Callisti_." she replied coolly. "The Commander is-" she coughed slightly, "_Indisposed_- at the moment."

"I suppose then, she is aware-"

"Aye. Quite aware, Captain." Tarana interrupted smoothly. She smiled. "_Quite_."

His eyes narrowed, and he stared intently at her. "I see. Then I'll speak with her later."

"Very well." Tarana said. "Although, I wouldn't expect to see her up here for a while. From the impression I received, she's rather upset. So you can gloat later- _much_ later- Captain."

"You seem amused." he said coldly.

Tarana considered that, steepling her fingers in her lap. Finally, she smiled again. "Aye. Pleased beyond measure."

He smiled back at her. "It seems I have a compatriot in you, Captain." he said.

Tarana suppressed an urge to spit. Instead she shook her head. "Not quite. I have my own agenda. If I had been in charge, events would have transpired in a _completely_ different way."

"Really?"

"This ship is mine- _should_ have been mine, rather." she told him matter-of-factly. "Obviously, _she_ was not capable of commanding it."

"Ah, I see. Then you seem to have a vested interest in seeing her removed from command." his tone was light, but she caught the accusatory inflection in his accented voice.

Tarana's eyes widened. "Are you implying that _I_ might have sabotaged Azonia's command?" she asked.

Khyron gave her a conspiratorial grin. "Well? Did you?"

"Captain, I didn't have _time_. She did this all on her own."

He gazed at her intently. She began to get a rather uncomfortable feeling, and the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. She caught herself grinding her teeth together, and started involuntarily. "Captain, if there is nothing further-"

He chuckled slightly. "Not really, _Captain_."

The way he said that gave her a chill, and she scowled. "Then I really must take my leave."

"Ah. I see." he said, and gestured to his Comm officer. "We'll talk again later- Captain Tarana."

The projecbeam blinked out.

Tarana stood up, and snarled softly. Damn. No wonder Azonia and Breetai had had so many problems with that one. He gave her the creeps. She began to feel a begrudging respect for her Commander, if _that_ was what she had to put up with on a regular basis.

She cursed under her breath. "Tridya, take the bridge." she snapped at the communications console.

Tridya hurried into the command sphere. "Milady."

"Take the bridge." Tarana threw at her, and stalked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_"The words of the Foolish and those of the Wise are not far apart in Discordian Eyes."_

_-(HBT; The Book of Advice, 2:1)_

"Dammit, Lyssa!"

Lyssa Tannai snarled under her breath. "What?"

"I can't let you broadcast _this_!"

Lyssa turned to face the talk-radio programmer of K-Macross, who stared at the hard copy in his hands. "It's completely-"

"True."

"Yeah, but- the morale of the people on board ship is at stake here. They don't want to hear your cynical comments about the War."

Lyssa's eyes narrowed. "Well, its how I feel. And I'm supposed to be doing an _editorial_, you know."

Jerry Arthur sighed. "But, Lyssa..."

"Fine, don't do it, I don't need the money." Lyssa snapped, and walked out of his office. 'You're gonna lose your most famous personality, if you don't, Arthur.' She thought coolly as she strode down the corridor. Oh, he'd print it, if he wanted to retain her listeners. Too many people knew about Lyssa Tannai before the spacefold, and the entire ship knew her now. Her commentaries may be scathing, and cynical, but they were _true_. And there were enough people who listened to her, that it had made a substantial rise in the profits for the station. _As if_ money _really mattered out_ here _anyway_.

She stepped out into the street. She glanced up into the 'sky' beyond the holographic EVE constructs, to the bulkheads she knew were up there. Although the holographics made the city as Earth-like as possible, to Lyssa there was an 'artificialness' about it all. She missed the Earth more than she was willing to admit. If they'd just dropped the holographs, maybe she would have felt better. It was like everything else in the city, as if the people of Macross were trying to pretend that space wasn't out there, the aggressive alien threat wasn't out there. 'Life' continued as if there were none of that. And it pissed Lyssa off.

She dug out a cigarette. She never liked fighting with Arthur, he was the closest thing she had to a friend on this damned ship.

"Hey, isn't that-?"

Lyssa heard the whispers behind her back as she walked. She was getting used to being recognized on the street, but she wasn't fond of the idea that she was thought of in the same class as Jan Morris and even more so, Lynn Minmei. She was a _writer_, more recently a _journalist_, when she'd arrived on Macross Island, it had been to cover the lift-off of the SDF-1 with another writer from _Rolling Stone_.

And most importantly, Lyssa Tannai was what most of these people weren't back home: completely self-sufficient. When she got home, she could step back into the role she'd 'written' for herself, that of a successful science-fiction author, and most-likely hit the bestseller charts with her next book. She could feel it.

"Lyssa!"

She groaned.

"Lyssa!"

She turned. A sleek black car had pulled up beside her on the street. A crowd was gathering. Inside, a pretty dark-haired girl was waving, as optimistically effervescent as ever.

"Hello, Minmei." Lyssa said coolly.

"I haven't seen you around lately."

"I don't like parties." Lyssa said.

"Well..." she paused. "Why don't we go for coffee someplace? I'd really like to catch things up with you." her voice sounded far-off and isolated.

Lyssa considered her. Minmei actually looked rather lonely sitting in the big car by herself. For once, Kyle wasn't with her, and Lyssa was thankful for that. She took a long drag on her cigarette, and shrugged.

"Sure, why not?"

She climbed into the car.

"Excuse me?"

"What I said. It's a big secret, and the High Command doesn't know about it. But it's spreading through the fleet." Tridya said in a low tone.

Tarana spread her hands on the table in front of her. "Why? What could they find even remotely interesting about the micronians?"

Tridya looked about a moment. Then she pulled something out of her pocket. "Tara, look."

She set it on the table, a tiny black thing with minuscule keys. Tarana stared at it.

"And what the hell is that?"

Tridya carefully leaned over and touched the object with her fingernail. A sound began to emit from the thing. Tarana's eyes went wide. She stood up, staring hard at the object.

"What _is_ that?" she said again.

"A 'CD Player'." Tridya said simply. "It plays 'music'."

Tarana listened. She tipped her head to one side, and stood quietly. "This is 'music'? This is what is making such a big impact on the troops?"

Tridya nodded. "Yes. I've been told that there is a particular micronian woman that does this kind of activity on the ship, and the male troops are particularly interested in her."

"That's men for you." Tarana said dismissively. "Actually, this is kind of interesting." She turned to her subordinate. "But I fail to see why some odd sounds from a tiny box should make any difference to us."

Tridya shrugged. She picked up the box, and carefully touched it, causing the sounds to cease. "The thing is, milady- there have been rumors of troops defecting to the micronians."

"Really?" Tarana said, interested. "Just the males?"

"Only them, as far as I know. But this 'music' thing is spreading through _our_ fleet now too."

Tarana frowned. "Are you saying that the possibility exists that _our_ people might take it into their heads to _defect_?"

Tridya cradled the box in her hands as if it were a precious thing. She looked at it, then at Tarana. "Truth be told, milady, _I've_ considered it." She braced herself.

Tarana snorted. "Yeah, right." she scoffed.

Tridya was silent.

Tarana looked into her second's eyes, hard. "You're serious?"

Tridya nodded, looking down at the toes of her boots.

"Do you mind telling me _why_?" Tarana snapped shortly.

"There's more than this 'music', Tal-_milady_." Tridya began. "There is, from what I've seen, social interaction between men and women. If you're a micronian, you can live where you want, wear what you want, and do what you want. No one tells you where to go and what to do all the time." she sighed. There was silence in the officer's lounge. She felt Tarana's eyes boring into her, and realized she would have to go on. "They have something there- food- it's called _chocolate_... and it's wonderful!"

Tarana's eyes narrowed. "Food? And where were you able to get micronian _food_?"

"One of the spies brought it back. They sent some over to us with the 'CD Player'." Tridya admitted. "They kept a lot of things that they'd collected from the superdimensional fortress."

Tarana stared at her. "You disappoint me, Tridya." she said simply. "Dismissed."

"But, milady- I-"

"Dismissed."

Tridya walked out, worrying that her superior would report this to the Commander, and wondering if confiding in Tarana was such a good idea after all.

"I don't know, Lyssa, sometimes it all seems so-"

"Fake." Lyssa supplied, taking a sip of her cappuccino.

"Well, yes."

Lyssa shrugged. "That's okay, really. I just had a nice go-round with Arthur today, so I can sympathize with you."

"There you are!"

Minmei turned.

Lyssa took another drink and groaned to herself.

"Did you forget that you have a concert tonight?" Lynn Kyle asked, approaching their table.

"Oh, yes. I just thought that-"

"Well come on, we've got to go, or you'll be late!"

Minmei stood up. "Sorry, Lyssa."

"No problem." Lyssa said. "Perhaps I'll come to your concert."

"Oh will you? I'd like it if you were there!"

Lyssa smiled. "Sure."

"Great." Tayva said.

"What happens if we really do destroy the ship this time?"

"Then no more chocolate."

"Shut up, all of you!" Tayva ordered, "I'm trying to think!"

The door to the crew quarters slid open, and the women jumped.

"We have a problem." Tridya said without preamble.

"What now?" Asta asked, standing.

"The Captain isn't as open to suggestion as I thought she was." Tridya said. "I'm thinking that my going to her wasn't such a good idea."

Tayva groaned. "Do you think she'll report it to-"

"Pakhit, I hope not." Tridya said, slumping into a nearby chair.

"We just received word from the front-lines." Asta said, "They're launching a full attack on the ship. I think it has something to do with that 'entertainment' vid that they broadcast a few days ago."

"Hmm. We haven't been ordered into action yet, though." Tridya said, or I would have been notified of it."

"An attack?" Tarana asked.

"Yes, they propose inserting troops through the ramming craft."

Tarana sighed. "So, what are our orders?"

Azonia shrugged. "Nothing yet. But I'd advise you to put your squadron on call. We may be called into action."

Tarana nodded. "Well, I'd like a chance to get back out into space for a change."

Azonia watched her out of the corner of her eye. "Very well. I could stand the quiet."

Tarana snorted.

Tarana stared at her computer console. She was looking over the language files Miriya had utilized before her mission. The language was insanely easy, and Tarana had already picked up a good deal of it.

There was a soft sound, and she looked up.

"Enter."

"You called me?" Tridya asked, stepping into her superior's quarters.

"Aye. Prepare the squad. We will be joining in the assault on the micronian ship."

"Yes, ma'am."

"That is all. Dismissed."

Tridya saluted and left.

Arze glanced at the duty board. He scowled slightly. "Well, it looks like we're up." he said.

Octavian stretched and smiled. "Good, I was getting bored."

Arze slid into a chair in the officer's lounge of the _Khravshera_. "So was I, but I'm not really sure this is such a good idea."

"Why?" Octavian asked, grinning. He cracked his knuckles. "It's about time, I'd say!"

Arze rubbed a hand against his forehead, then through his unruly lavender hair. "I don't know. I just have a- bad feeling about this one."

Octavian snorted. He stood. "You know the Captain has been more than restless, and that's _never_ good. I, for one, welcome the chance to get behind my pod's controls again."

"Bloody hell." Arze muttered. "We have _internal_ problems! I'm tired of being used as everyone's sounding board! And now, right in the midst of our own general chaos, we're being called out."

Octavian laughed hard. "Arze, you are far too sensitive for a Zentraedi!" he snickered. "Are you sure you're not a micronian inside?"

"That is _not_ amusing!" Arze snapped.

"Go tell Khyron your misgivings, Arze." Octavian said, "See how far you get."

"Oh shut up." Arze snarled. "I've half a mind to do just that."

"He would listen to you, you know." Octavian told him. "Just before he tore your heart out."

Arze stood and whirled on the taller, blonde-headed man. "Yes, I know he would- but he wouldn't kill me." he snapped.

"You really think so?"

Arze stared at him a long moment. Then he smiled. "I _know_ so." he said coolly.

"Go ahead then." Octavian said slyly. "I _dare_ you."

Arze's charcoal grey eyes met Octavian's parte-colored blue and green.

"Alright." he said finally. "I _will_."

"I don't think this is such a good-"

"-idea?"

Octavian smiled to himself as he stood in the doorway of the command sphere with Grel.

"Hello, Arze."

The figure in the command chair swung to face them.

Arze sighed. His dislike of his commander's melodramatics caused a slight smile to curve his lips. "Hello. As I said, I don't think this is such a good idea. We have some serious internal problems we really ought to work out before we commit ourselves to this attack."

"We don't have much of a choice, Arze. We were _ordered_ to attack." Khyron said reasonably. "Besides, perhaps the best way to stave off this 'internal problem' is to attack the space fortress."

"I really don't think you're aware of the _depth_ of the problem, sir. This-this 'contamination' is on board your own ship. I've experienced it first hand."

Khyron's eyes narrowed slightly. "For your information, Arze, I am _quite_ aware of what is going on."

Arze refused to be intimidated. "Oh really?" he said coolly. "_I_ don't think so."

The commander rose slowly from the command chair. "Are you _trying_ to be impudent, Arze, or are you too stupid to know what you're doing?" he snarled.

Arze surprised them all by laughing. "You know I'm not stupid. I'm the only voice of reason on this damn ship, and you know it." he said easily.

Grel backed up slowly, and Octavian watched Arze with amazement.

Silence.

"Are you so aware?" Arze asked, walking across the bridge to the computer console. He tapped a few keys. "Listen to this."

Khyron glared at the other man. He was silent, seething.

"Listen to this!" Arze said. "This will prove the _excess_ of 'contamination' that has affected your own troops. I received this from a soldier, a man who had received it from another on another ship of the line."

Khyron walked over to the monitor. He punched up the recording.

"I've been thinking." A cool female voice purred over the speaker,

"Here we are back in space, kicked off our world by our own _government_. And that irritates the hell out of me."

She stopped and snorted a slight sarcastic laugh before continuing.

"I've been known to be rather caustic in my editorials, but _this_ really gets me. Since when does the government think they can kick us around and treat us like garbage? Really?

"Right now, I wouldn't be really that upset if the enemy blasted the hell out of the government headquarters on Earth, just to salve _my_ wounded pride.

"Sure, now we are really on our own against the enemy, and I think that's the way they'd like it. They can blow us away without a second thought, and the Earth Government will breathe a sigh of relief and forget about us."

His expression darkened. "What is this? Who is this?"

Arze smiled in spite of himself. "The commentary is by a micronian. It came from the fortress."

"'Lyssa Tannai'? A human?"

"Exactly. It comes from a recording called a 'radio show', not a military dispatch or anything like it. It is _civilian_, and it is but one article of micronian culture that was brought back to our forces."

"And they _allow_ this kind of drivel in their society?"

"Yes, and this information is being distributed among our own forces. Along with 'music'. It is the music that is making the biggest impact. I am concerned with the possibility of an active plan for defection. They aren't talking about it anymore, sir. They are _doing_ it!"

"Sir, it is as I told you before." Grel added cautiously. "They are-"

"Shut up!" Khyron snapped.

Arze shrugged. "Well, I simply thought you ought to know." He turned to leave.

"Stop right there, Captain." Khyron snarled.

Arze turned. "Well?"

"Then in my estimation, the attack couldn't be timed better. We will show those who think to _defect_ the folly of their choice." Khyron muttered angrily. "Anyone who thinks to desert _me_ will think differently after this."

_Lyssa Tannai_.

She gazed out through the huge window in the park, and felt a chill go down her spine. She shook it off and laughed shortly. 'Ah, someone must be talking about me.' she thought, and began to walk towards the Star Bowl.

Tarana did a last check of her pod. It was quiet in the launch bay of the _Callisti_, and it seemed to be the only place lately that she could _think_.

It was simply a case of information overload, she reasoned. 'In everyone's case, I think.' Even _her_ squadron had been affected. She looked around. The pods belonging to her group sat quietly and unthreatening in their cartridges. She leaned back against her craft and closed her eyes.

Tridya was contaminated.

The sound from the object echoed in her mind. She moaned softly.

Pakhit... was it beginning to taint _her_?

She shook her head violently. 'No.' she thought, '_I_ refuse give in to this nonsense! I have far too much to concern myself with.'

She stepped away from the pod. "Pakhit, am I the only sane person left in the Universe?" she muttered.

'Am I the only sane person left in the Universe?' Lyssa asked herself. She shook her head and laughed softly.

She looked down at the stage. The concert was going well, but she was beginning to wonder why she was here. Oh sure, she'd promised Minmei, but she didn't really feel like doing this tonight. She realized that she would have been much more comfortable in front of her PC. With a sigh, she stood up to go, but something made her pause. It was an itch in the back of her mind, and it was getting stronger. She glanced up, and the warning klaxons went off.

"Shit!" she hissed, and hit the deck just as an explosion rocked the concert hall. Smoke was rising from the city as she looked up. So far the amphitheater hadn't been hit, but _something_ was going on out there!

Minmei had stopped singing, and Kyle was saying something into the microphone, but Lyssa wasn't interested in that. She was, at the moment, snapping angrily at the people in her general area who were panicking.

"Calm down, you idiots!" she snarled, "Running over each other won't do any of us any good!"

One of the people, a burly man who was much taller than Lyssa towered over her, and glared. "And just who died and made you boss, lady?"

Lyssa's own eyes narrowed and caught his in a glint of icy steel.

"Sit down and shut up." she said coldly.

The guy stared at her, and slowly sat.

"That's better." Lyssa said. "Now listen to me. We're probably all much safer right here for the moment than in the streets. Wait until the Civil Defense makes an announcement."

Voices of agreement elicited a tight smile from her. "Good, I'm glad you understand me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"_There is serenity in Chaos. Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane."_

_-The Principia Discordia_

The assault was well underway.

Tarana looked out over the fighting from her primary position at the front of the _Callisti's_ fighter squadrons. She considered her options. She hadn't been ordered to join the fray, as it seemed that Command only wanted small groups involved for the time being. She was anxious, waiting for the order to attack. She hadn't gotten all dressed up to sit and _watch_ the battle, for Pahkit's sake!

She watched as the pods entered the enemy ship.

Lyssa's hold on the group had slowly eroded, and many of them had made a run for it as the situation got progressively worse.

She found that she didn't really give a damn, since her life had suddenly gotten much more interesting, and she certainly didn't need any stragglers for what she was planning.

She was presently observing the movement of the enemy craft through the city streets, being pursued by the SDF's finest, and she was thrilled. She giggled slightly, almost manically, as the fighting came closer to her hiding place. There was some kind of 'high' from this close proximity to chaos, and her chaotic, writer's mind was collecting data as fast as humanly possible.

She could see the article writing itself...

"When can we move?" Tarana pressed. "My troops are getting restless, dammit!"

"Not until we're given clearance, Captain." Azonia's irritated voice came over the comlink. "And that's the end of it!"

"Damn..." Tarana snarled under her breath.

Azonia stared at Tarana's image on the screen before her. 'Defy me, Tarana, I dare you.' she thought at it. She gritted her teeth. 'Give me an excuse to kill you.'

Although an outburst was expected, none was forthcoming.

Tarana simply grumbled angrily under her breath, and clicked off her comlink.

This could be considered worse than open defiance. Azonia figured she was getting used to her subordinates' arguments, and disobedience- well, if not _used_ to it, _numbed_ to it at least. Tarana's misanthropic silences were becoming all too common, and, truth be told, they irritated her as much as Khyron's ranting did.

She stood up. _That_ was a subject she didn't feel like broaching in this mood. But this waiting was intolerable. She began to pace the bridge like a caged tigress.

Lyssa gasped.

What the hell was going on?

One of the enemy craft, different from the rest, and Lyssa figured it must be the leader, had sighted up one of the other enemy craft, and it looked like it was preparing to fire.

She ducked under the slab of concrete she'd taken cover behind as the cannons fired, blowing away the other pod.

"This is nuts!" she exclaimed.

Tasian heard something out of the corner of his craft speaker. He trained the vid on some of the ruins beside his ship. There was a person, a _micronian_ hiding behind there. He casually magnified his view, and was not disappointed.

In the rear rank of the squad, Tasian listened to the tac-net, to his commander's exclamations of surprise and fury at the idea of defection, while he concentrated his view on the shadow hiding behind the rubble below.

Lyssa stood up carefully.

A pod was turned. And she could swear it was _looking_ at her!

So, she stared back at it, mentally _daring_ it to shoot her.

'Eris, am I crazy?' she shouted at herself. 'There is serenity in Chaos. Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane.' was her mind's answer.

There was a female mirconian not hiding anymore, but standing there, staring at him. He was alarmed at the fact that she didn't appear the least bit frightened or even put out. He stared back.

She was certainly different from the other female micronians he'd had the opportunity to see. She wore gold-rimmed lenses over her eyes, and her long light brown hair fell in waves over her shoulders. She was wearing some kind of military uniform, of that he was certain. The tunic was indigo, belted, with long full sleeves, and the pants she wore were black, and tight fitted to her legs. Black boots completed the odd outfit.

And the way she was staring- almost as if she were looking at a weird and unusual specimen under a microscope.

"Forward!" Khyron's voice snapped over the tac-net.

Tasian half considered leaning out and grabbing the strange woman before he left, just to see how she'd react. But he was lingering, and already being shouted at for hanging about.

Lyssa watched the pod and its' fellows go with a rather bemused expression.

"Hail Eris!" she yelled at the departing pods, defiantly. "All Hail Discordia!"

And then she began to giggle hysterically.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_"'There is Serenity in Chaos. Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane.'_

_"So runs The Principia Discordia._

_"Look into the chaos around us. There is a kind of odd pattern that emerges. Is chaos ordered at the same time?_

_"Damn straight!_

_"Can we look into our own lives as signature representatives of the culture that we are learning is the antithesis of our enemy, and wonder what they find so interesting about us?_

_"I've been privy to some information about the status of the Zentraedi, and it's extremely interesting. _

_"Did you know the forces are divided? That may be the reason we have been allowed, yes, allowed to live as long as we have._

_"Perhaps, if the enemy gets their collective heads together, we will find ourselves on the business end of their lasers, and then- poof! No more Macross, no more SDF-1 and no more thorn in the side of the Government!_

_"So, if one looks at our rather precarious situation from that point of view, you can get depressed, or you can get Zen about the whole thing._

_"Think about it!"_

_-Lyssa Tannai's Commentary on K-Macross_

"Did you know your commentaries are being distributed among the aliens?" Arthur asked Lyssa as she switched to commercial.

"What?" Lyssa asked incredulously. "How'd you find that out?"

"Some of the Zentraedi on board told me."

Lyssa smiled. "Damn. I know I'm good, but this is incredible!"

Arthur laughed.

Tarana listened.

She smiled to herself. 'I think I like this woman.'

She leaned back on her bunk. Although she wasn't sure what 'Zen' was, she was beginning to think that she might have found a human after her own heart on the battle fortress. Although she knew there was no way in hell they were going to 'get their collective heads together', this Lyssa Tannai person was right, if they were to do that, the humans would no longer be a problem- to _anyone_.

"Captain Tarana to the bridge."

"Reporting as ordered."

Azonia turned to face her first officer. "We are in the process of negotiations with the humans." she said.

Tarana nodded.

"It seems we have been marked for destruction along with the humans by the High Command."

Tarana nodded again. "I figured as much. What are your orders?"

"We are to stand by and wait with Breetai's fleet and prepare to confront them. I'd prefer it if you put your squadron on alert, and lead our own attack groups into it. Since we don't have Miriya with us, I need you."

Tarana was mildly amazed at the conversational tone in Azonia's voice. But things were serious, and had been getting progressively worse as the weeks had passed since the infiltration of the SDF-1. Miriya had 'officially' defected as well as the others, and relations between the High Command and the front-lines had disintegrated accordingly.

"Aye ma'am." she said simply. "I'll alert Tridya immediately."

She turned to go.

"And Tarana-"

"Ma'am?"

"Good luck. May you be victorious."

Tarana saluted. "'Damn straight'." She smiled coolly, and left the bridge.

Azonia sighed.

It didn't take long for things to escalate, and Tarana and her squadron were once again in space-but this time, they knew they were going to go into battle. Against their own people.

Tridya had expressed her own concerns about it, vocalizing Tarana's own sentiments. But what choice did they have? Fight- or die ignominiously at the hands of their own.

Lyssa felt a chill as she sat in her apartments, gazing at her PC. She'd tried to work on her novel, attempting to get her mind off the battle that was even now beginning outside the fortress. It was insane, crazy of her, but she was really at a loss at what else to do.

The fortress shook with the first of the blasts, throwing her off her chair, and the PC crashing to the floor. She gritted her teeth against the acrid smoke streaming from the housing, and poked the power button 'off', before the computer was damaged any more. She got to her feet, and ran out of the apartment.

'Eris, I can't stand it!'

She ran to the park, through empty streets, and stood in front of the window. It was stupid, _crazy_, but she realized she simply _had_ to watch the fighting. She had to watch until the end- whatever that was going to be.


End file.
